Denis Bouchard

Although not a household name outside of Francophone Canada, Denis Bouchard is a beloved actor in his native Quebec. Bouchard started his college career as a psychology career, but after two years he had a change of heart and pursued the dramatic arts. He next attended the National Theatre School for three years, honing his craft as a performer. Right after he graduated, he began working professionally; his first role was a guest spot on the rural soap opera "Terre humaine" (Radio-Canada 1978-1984) in 1978. The following year, he co-starred as Jean-Luc Sanschagrin in the short-lived comedy-drama series "Frédéric" (Radio-Canada 1979-1980). This was followed by "Boogie-woogie 47" (Radio-Canada 1980-82), a romantic drama set in the summer cottages of Pointe-Calumet just after World War II, in which Bouchard played one of the male leads, Lionel Royal. In 1986, Bouchard co-starred in "Lance et Compte" (Radio-Canada 1986-) as hockey star Lucien "Lulu" Boivin; the hockey-set sports drama became one of French Canada's most popular television series. Bouchard's film breakthrough came with his co-starring role in "Les matins infidèles" (1988), a comedy-drama about two friends going through early midlife crises. This was followed by a supporting role in Denys Arcand's acclaimed "Jesus of Montreal" (1989). Bouchard continued acting steadily through the 1990s, including a lead role in the thriller "Rafales" (1990), which he also co-wrote. He reteamed with Arcand for a supporting role in the comedy-drama "The Barbarian Invasions" (2003), which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Also during this period, Bouchard returned to the soap opera world with a seven-year stint starring as devoted husband Hugo Nadeau in the romantic drama "Annie et ses hommes" (TVA 2002-09). He then returned to the big screen, co-starring in the hit crime comedy "Y'en aura pas de facile" (2010), followed by the sports drama "La petite reine" (2014), in which he played the father of a teen cyclist who begins doping to stay competitive in her sport.